For many of us, prepping aubergines for a dish can be daunting. Slice it, salt it, rinse it, dry it ……. and that is before you even start cooking it. Other than slicing, there is absolutely no other prepping required to the aubergines in this recipe. Turkish by origin (Iman Bayildi), all of the ingredients are pretty standard that you can get from your local food shop.
Serve it as a side dish to any Moroccan or Middle-Eastern dish and for vegan or vegetarians, this is the perfect main dish with fresh, crusty bread!
This recipe has been adjusted from the original by Chef Andrew McKenzie.
Bon appetite!
You’ll need
- 2 x large tomatoes
- 1 x medium size aubergine
- 6 x shallots, halved and thinly sliced
- 4 x garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 Tbsp x coriander seeds, crushed
- 150ml x olive oil
- 1 Tbsp x oregano
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Start with the onion base by adding the sliced onions to a pan with the olive oil, crushed garlic, coriander seeds and oregano.
- Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure the mixture is soft, fragrant and evenly cooked.
- Divide between 2 small or one ovenproof dishes, ensuring each is half full with the onion mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Cut the aubergine in half lengthways and slice each into 5mm semi-circles. Repeat with the large tomatoes to create similar sized semi-circle slices.
- Arrange the slices on top of the onion mixture, alternating the tomato and aubergine until the dishes are full. (The vegetables will shrink slightly as they cook so it should be packed in as tightly as possible)
- Season the tops with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and just turning golden-brown on top.
- Carefully drain any excess oil from the pans and serve hot.